Dr. Karen Moody

Dr. Karen Basham Moody, age 70, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 20, 2022. She was born in Holland, Michigan on November 15, 1951.

Karen is survived by her son, Dr. Joseph Ryan Shows and wife, Brandi FaKouri Shows; sister, Dr. Lynn Basham; brothers, Michael (Jane) Basham, and Dennis (Brenda) Basham; grandchildren, Dominic Victor Shows, Alexis Natalia Shows, and Sophia Isabelle Shows; and longtime companion, Joe Bourgeois.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Lea Basham; and daughter, Kimberly Lea Shows.

She was a loving mother, grandmother, and sister. She enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

She had a long and distinguished career in Professional Nursing, and especially as an Associate Professor of Nursing at Southeastern Louisiana University. She earned a BS at the University of Southern Mississippi in Nursing (1972), followed by an MN in Maternal-Infant Nursing from the University of Mississippi (1976), and a PhD from Louisiana State University (1999). She held several teaching positions during her long career, including at Mississippi University for Women, Our Lady of the Lake School of Nursing, Woman’s Hospital, Southern University, and Southeastern Louisiana University. She was the recipient of numerous honors during her career: Who’s Who Among Executives and also Among American Teachers, International Council of Nurses (ICN), Bank of Nurse Experts, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nurses – Rho Zeta chapter – Excellence in Nursing Practice Award, and the Excellence in Service Award from the Southeastern School of Nursing. She received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from Human Resources Education and Workforce Development at LSU, and an Outstanding Nurse Award from the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association. She was appointed and served by a term on the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, was Treasurer of the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association, and was a longtime member of the Louisiana State Nurses Association and the American Nurses Association. She held several offices in the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). She also held membership in many other nursing groups including the Louisiana Alliance of Nursing Organizations (LANO), the National League for Nursing, and the American Heart Association. She was well respected by her undergraduate and graduate students and her peers for her contributions to Woman’s and Infant Health Care. She retired from Southeastern Louisiana University School of Nursing in 2010, having served on the faculty since 1981.

Visitation will take place on Saturday, May 28, 2022 at Resthaven Funeral Home, beginning at 10:00 AM until services at 11:00 AM. Burial to follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Karen’s name.

Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonrouge.com.